Thursday, October 10, 2013

LITERARY FICTION & EMPATHY

 
Well, since today was my first day back at school I haven't read or watched any of the Hamlet videos yet so I can't relate to Hamlet, but I did read the article so I can still refer it back to my own experiences. Which was in fact quite informative. Anyways now for the actual assignment.
 
The article discussed the science behind a study in which scientists distributed different pieces of literature to their test subjects and asked them to read for three to five minutes. After the time was up, they took a standardized test asking them to pair emotions and feelings with body language and other social interactions. It was concluded that subjects that had read that literary fiction as opposed to popular fiction helped people better interact with people socially.
 
In my life I have actually found this to be true. Books such as "The Cather in the Rye" by Salinger, and "The Glass Castle" by Walls, have helped me not only connect to others better but also connect to my self. "The Glass Castle" and "The Catcher in the Rye" contain a gargantuan amount of personal reflection from the authors about their teen years and their struggles, and although we live different live I was able to connect with many of the situations or feelings. While at the same time I was also able to connect with others who had gone through other difficult situations and now I had a common ground with them by reading those novels. 
 
 
 


No comments:

Post a Comment